Davos, Switzerland | January 2026
One of the most consistent themes at WEF Davos is the growing gap between available capital and institutional capability.
At the Smart Cities Council Welcome Reception, this gap was brought into sharp focus during a panel discussion on financing city transformation — not through individual projects, but through sustained investment in readiness.
Held as part of SCC’s WEF Davos 2026 engagement, the discussion challenged a long-standing assumption: that cities fail to transform because they lack funding. In reality, the panel argued, cities struggle because capital is rarely structured to enable readiness.
Cities are not short of ideas. They are short of capital structures that enable transformation rather than constrain it.
This issue was addressed in the panel “Cities Must Invest in Readiness for Change”, moderated by Vincent Peter, and featuring Mark Messow, Indu Navar,Dr. Melissa Grill-Petersen, Abby Seneor and Jennifer Warren, who joined us remotely.
Panellists highlighted that traditional funding models are often high-friction and asset-centric, making it difficult to finance the investments that matter most, governance reform, data infrastructure, institutional capability, and cross-sector coordination.
The discussion focused on practical, executable pathways under blended finance, including project bankability, risk allocation between government and private capital, and measures to accelerate delivery for sustainable outcomes.
Without these foundations, even well-funded projects struggle to deliver lasting impact.
The discussion explored blended finance models as a pathway forward, combining public funding, private capital, and innovative mechanisms to unlock trapped value, give utility to data, and even provide a voice to nature in regenerative outcomes.
Smart Cities Council acts as a catalyst in this space, helping cities align finance with readiness and outcomes, rather than projects alone. The shift is fundamental: from asking “what can we build?” to “what capability must we enable for cities to sustain transformation?”
As moderator, Vincent Peter guided the discussion toward practical financing pathways that align long-term capability, governance, and outcomes.
Media interested in attending or scheduling interviews should contact:
Karen Norden karen.norden@smartcitiescouncil.com
About Smart Cities Council
Smart Cities Council is a global network of cities, governments, technology leaders, investors, and solution providers dedicated to enabling city and community transformation through governance, finance, technology, and partnerships that deliver measurable outcomes.
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